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K-pop singer Suho performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MANILA — Some time in the middle of Filipino folk-pop band Ben&Ben’s set at the recent ON Music Festival, lead vocalist Miguel Benjamin Guico reflected on music’s power to forge ties among people of different backgrounds and tastes.
“Thank you for supporting not just Filipino music, not just Korean music, but music in general,” he told the crowd who trooped to the SM Mall of Asia Arena. “The beautiful thing about music is that it makes connections that we never, ever thought were possible.”
It’s a statement that best captured the spirit of the event, which brought together Filipino and South Korean artists of different genres as well as their fans for a daylong celebration of music.
“[The lineup is] very diverse and it seems like it’s a good idea, mixing artists from two countries together so other people can also explore other genres,” 13-year-old Daphne Olivares, who attended for Ben&Ben and Korean indie trio wave to earth, told ABS-CBN News.
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Honey Zamudio, who went to see Suho of K-pop boy group EXO, admitted that it was her first music festival. “Siguro I wouldn’t attend kung wala si Suho kasi hindi talaga ako ma-music festival,” she said.
(I probably wouldn’t have attended if Suho were not here because I’m not really a fan of music festivals.)
“But I am actually looking forward to seeing the Filipino artists since I am not an OPM fan kasi nga (because) K-pop fan,” the 26-year-old Zamudio added.
Filipino band Ben&Ben performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
In the case of Ben&Ben’s set, it did not really matter whether one went to the event for a particular artist because the band, which served as the night’s penultimate act, had nearly all concertgoers jumping and singing with their well-known songs such as “Pagtingin,” “Maybe the Night” and “Araw-Araw.”
Guico also shared how the band experienced music’s connecting power as he introduced the comforting “Leaves,” which topped the search chart of South Korean streaming site Melon in 2020.
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“Na-experience namin ‘yon. Back in 2020 or 2021, I think, nagulat kami because... umabot itong song na 'to sa Melon Charts in Korea. We were so happy,” he said.
(We experienced music’s connecting power. Back in 2020 or 2021, I think, we were surprised because… this song reached the Melon Charts in Korea. We were so happy.)
The sweet-voiced Suho, whose songs outside of EXO mostly lean towards soft rock, kicked off his seven-piece set with “O2,” “Let’s Love” and “Self-Portrait” from his 2020 debut extended play.
The 32-year-old singer raised the energy and moved around the stage while performing a medley of EXO hits “Growl,” “Overdose” and “Love Me Right.” He sustained the electric atmosphere with “Hurdle” before dialing down the mood once again with “Grey Suit” and closing the evening with “Made In You.”
“Today, I felt your passion, your love. I’m so touched so I’m gonna tell my members,” Suho said. “I promise you I will come back together with [the other] EXO members and Suho band so please wait for us.”
Moira dela Torre filled the air with her soothing vocals as she brought her signature “hugot” hits like “ikaw at sila” and “Paubaya,” while Darren Espanto impressed concertgoers with his covers of Jungkook’s “3D” and Timmy Thomas’ “Dying Inside to Hold You” as well as original offerings like “Bibitaw Na” and the yet-to-be-released “Hanggang Kailan.”
Moira performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Korean duo MeloMance had the crowd singing along to “Love, Maybe,” which was used in the hit romantic comedy series “Business Proposal.” They also dished out their sentimental tracks and other K-drama soundtracks.
Pianist Jeong Dong-hwan, in particular, won the hearts of audience members, who let out loud cheers and “ang pogi!” remarks whenever he flashed wide smiles and was shown on the screens.
wave to earth maintained a mostly laid-back vibe with their dreamy surf rock tunes like "bad" and "seasons." The band, who performed in the Philippines for the first time, also teased local fans by saying they would return next year.
The festival, mounted by ABS-CBN and Korean entertainment company KAMP Global, also featured Korean singer Seori, who covered Zack Tabudlo’s “Pano,” and Filipino artist Adie, whose notable songs include “Mahika” and “Paraluman.”
Local indie band Nameless Kids and singers Sab, Cesca and Maki served as the event’s opening acts.
Check out the photos from the event below:
Suho performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Suho performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Suho performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Ben&Ben performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Ben&Ben performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
wave to earth performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
wave to earth performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Moira performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Moira performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Moira performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MeloMance performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
MeloMance performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Darren Espanto performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Darren Espanto performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Seori performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Seori performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Adie performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
Adie performs at the ON Festival at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, November 3, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News
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